"This loss affects us all and we are greatly saddened by this unfortunate incident," Air Force Col. Mary O'Brien, the commander of the 70th ISR Wing, said in a statement. "Our sympathy goes out to the airman's family, friends and fellow airmen during this extremely difficult time.

"The airman's professional service to our nation will not be forgotten."

The 70th ISR Wing, known as the Cryptologic Wing, is one of the largest wings in the Air Force, with 4,700 airmen serving in 15 locations around the world.

The wing is headquartered at Fort Meade, where it employs 2,300 airmen and civilians working with U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency and other organizations.

The wing provides code-making and code-breaking support, computer network defense and attack, and intelligence to the president, secretary of defense and Air Force units worldwide.